DECATUR -- Charles Linam presided over his last meeting as mayor of Decatur when the city council met Dec. 8 to handle remaining business for the year 2014. Topping the agenda was the passing of the 2015 city budget.
City officials met with incoming Mayor Bob Tharp to set the city budget line items during the first week of December. Expenditures for each department were reviewed as they considered where to set next year's budget.
The city came in under budget this year, using only $537,473 of the $752,050 budgeted for expenditures. This difference is attributed to Linam's elimination of several over-budget items such as the Benton County judges retirement fund and the Benton County Court West fund.
After careful review by the council, the 2015 budget was adopted. The budget is broken down into three parts. The City of Decatur Budget includes administration, police, fire, library, parks and recreation. The street department and the water and waste water department are each budgeted separately.
The City of Decatur Budget breaks down as follows:
Administration -- $269,890; Police -- $361,620; Fire -- $96,250; Parks and Recreation -- $86,900, Library Fund -- $39,525; Total -- $854,185.
The Street Department -- $295,400.
The Decatur Water and Waste Water Department expenditures for 2015 were set at $3,476,900. Much of the department's budget is for upgrades and maintenance to the Decatur Sewage Treatment Plant and the cost of purchasing water from the Benton-Washington Public Water Authority. With the Centerton project expected to come on line around June 1, the wastewater side is expected to come in slightly under budget by the end of 2015.
Other business included:
• Presentations by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Bike Trail and Ozark Regional Transit.
• Adopting a new City of Decatur Personnel Policy Handbook.
• Authorize a signature change on the city's Decatur State Bank accounts removing Charles Linam and adding Bob Tharp.
In his final act before the Decatur City Council, Mayor Linam gave a short farewell speech.
"It has been an honor serving the city of Decatur for the past four years. I thank each and every one of you and each and every Decatur resident for the support given me in that time," Linam said. "Thank you."
General News on 12/17/2014